Dr. Ajit Magadum
Dr. Ajit Magadum is an Assistant Professor in the Center for Regenerative Medicine within the Department of Internal Medicine at the USF Health Heart Institute. His research is dedicated to advancing mRNA-based therapeutics for cardiovascular disease (CVD), with a particular focus on cardiac repair, cardiomyocyte proliferation, and targeted gene delivery strategies.
Dr. Magadum earned his Ph.D. from the Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research in Germany in 2014, where he investigated the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying CVD and repair. He continued his training as a postdoctoral fellow at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York, where he pioneered the development of novel mRNA delivery platforms tailored for cardiac tissue. In 2016, he introduced SMRTs (Specific Modified mRNA Translation System), a groundbreaking cell-specific mRNA delivery system that enables precise mRNA expression in cardiomyocytes or non-cardiomyocytes—laying the foundation for a new generation of targeted RNA therapeutics. In 2020, Dr. Magadum joined the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University as an Associate Scientist and later served as Assistant Professor in the Department of Cardiovascular Sciences & ACDC.
His research has identified several novel mRNA-delivered gene targets that promote cardiac repair, enhance angiogenesis, and inhibit maladaptive cardiac remodeling processes such as hypertrophy, oxidative stress, and fibrosis. Dr. Magadum has authored more than 25 peer-reviewed publications and holds three patent applications, licensed to leading biotechnology firms. His contributions to the field have earned him multiple honors, including the Outstanding Research Innovation Award from Mount Sinai Hospital (2017), the ISHR-NAS Young Investigator Award (runner-up, 2022), and finalist recognition for the Melvin L. Marcus Early Career Investigator Award from the American Heart Association (2022). Beyond his scientific contributions, he is passionately invested in mentoring emerging scientists, taking great pride in guiding their growth and celebrating their achievements—both in the laboratory and in their broader careers.
At USF, Dr. Magadum's lab continues to explore cutting-edge mRNA therapeutics, with an emphasis on discovering new molecular targets, and advancing targeted and cell-specific gene delivery approaches for CVD treatment.